From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shot glass
Shot glass
Before Prohibition, thin-sided whiskey glasses were
common. After Prohibition, these were replaced by shot
glasses with a thick base and thick sides.[citation needed]
Because the word shot also means dose, or small
amount it may simply be that these small glasses are
called shot glasses because they hold small amounts.
However there are a range of more complex stories about
the origin of the style of glass, and its name. Few of them
stands up to much scrutiny - either they place the origin
decades before the term appeared in print, or they de-
scribe an item that had nothing to do with drinking
liquor:
The Old West
Three shot glasses of varying shape and size The most popular[citation needed] origin story is that the
shot glass originated in the Western saloons of the Old
West. The story explains that the cowboys of the old west
would trade a cartridge (bullet plus powder and primer
encased in brass) for a small amount of alcohol.
Shot glasses with a variety of designs. Shot glasses such as
these are often collected as novelty items
A shot glass is a small glass designed to hold or measure
spirits or liquor, which is either drunk straight from the
glass ("a shot") or poured into a mixed drink.
Shot glasses decorated with a wide variety of humor-
ous pictures, toasts, and advertising, are popular sou-
venirs and collectibles.
Name origin
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term "shot
glass" first appeared in print in the 1940s in The New
York Times, but in fact several examples exist from the
1930s,[1][2] however although it was used by some,[3][4]
the term apparently did not come into common usage
until much later.
Many references from the 1800s describe giving a jig- A 2 fl. oz. shot glass filled with rum with the seal of the Virginia
ger of whiskey or rum to workers who were digging Polytech
canals. Most shot glasses are found in the United States,
but shot glasses from before the 1940s are very rare.[5]
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shot glass
Birdshot or buckshot
Another origin story is that a shot glass was a glass used
at the dinner table for diners to place any lead shot they
found left during the meal.
Quill pen holder
Another story ties the origin of the shot glass to the use
of quill pens. According to this story, the term shot glass
was coined over 100 years ago, describing a small, thick-
walled glass placed on a writing desk, and filled with
small lead shot. A feather writing quill would be placed
in the glass when not in use, and the lead shot would
hold the quill upright. An upright quill was more easily
removed from the glass.
Firing glass
Certain fraternal organizations such as Freemasons have
a custom of drinking toasts from specially shaped glasses
known as cannons or firing glasses,[6] which are slammed
on the table making a sound like a gunshot – a firing glass
then becomes a shot glass. The firing glass is much old-
er than the shot glass, and has a very specific shape with
relatively thin sides, and a very thick protruding base. [7]
Friedrich Otto Schott
This theory argues that the word shot was originally
spelled Schott, and named after Friedrich Otto Schott A jigger
who co-founded the glassworks factory Jenaer Glaswerk
Schott & Genossen in Jena, Germany in 1884.[8] This Jena multiple - with the actual sizes depending on local laws
glass has been theorized as the origin of the first Schott and customs.
Glass and the source of the name, which was later, in the
U.S., mutated to Shot Glass and the origin of the word for-
gotten.
References
[1] "...whiskey and sour, which was served in a 2-ounce
"shot" glass...", 1930, American law reports
Sizes annotated , Volume 66
Most countries have standard definitions of single and [2] "He held his shot glass upside down and watched the last
double shot sizes (which are not always in a 2 to 1 ratio): few drops of whisky roll down the side of the glass",
1939, Prairie schooner , Volumes 13-14, University
Shot measuring tools [3]
of Nebraska Press
"...and brought out a bottle of brandy and a shot glass...",
The Portsmouth Times - Sep 6, 1941
Jigger [4] "...characters nursing a shot glass late at night in men’s
A jigger or measure is a bartending tool used to measure bars...", St. Petersburg Times - Aug 1, 1955
liquor, which is typically then poured into a cocktail [5] "The pre-Prohibition Collector’s Resource Site".
shaker. It is named for the unit of liquid it typically mea- Pre-pro.com. http://www.pre-pro.com. Retrieved
sures, 1.5 fluid ounce (~44 ml) jigger or shot [18] However
shot. 2010-10-16.
bar jiggers come in other sizes and may not actually mea- [6] "’Firing’ Glass". Museum of Croydon.
sure a fluid jigger. http://www.museumofcroydon.com/ixbin/
A traditional style of jigger is made of stainless steel indexplus?record=CAT3140&_IXEMBED_KIOSK_=kiosk/
with two unequal sized opposing cones in an hourglass a2_k4&_IXFROMC_=1. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
shape on the end of a rod. Typically, one cone measures [7] "FIRING GLASSES, engraved firing glass, engraved
a regulation single shot, and the other some fraction or glass crystal, crystal and engraving from WARWICK
CRYSTAL DESIGNS, glass, gift, 3d. Order engraved
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shot glass
Country Small Single Double Notes
Albania 50 mL 100 mL
Australia 30 mL 60 mL Single shot is sometimes called a nip. At 30 mL, a typical spirit
with 40% alcohol is roughly equivalent to one Australian stan-
dard drink.[9]
Bulgaria 50 mL 100 mL
Canada Pony shot 1 shot or 71 mL (2.5 In Canada, a "shot" generally refers to the province’s definition
or 42.61 mL ounces) of a "Standard Drink" under liquor licences. Although sizes may
28.41 mL (1 (1.5 vary, most provinces cite amounts similar to Ontario’s guide-
ounce[10]) ounces) lines of 0.6 ounces or 17 mL of pure alcohol; since a "shot" is
typically a spirit with 40% alcohol, this makes the shot 1.5 oz or
42.62 mL (though many establishments serve a lower "standard
drink" of only 1 oz)[11]. A double shot in North America may be
either 2.5 or 3.0 fl oz.[12] A smaller 1.0 fl oz shot is usually re-
ferred to as a pony shot or short shot.[13]
Croatia 30 mL 60 mL
Czech 20 mL 40 or 50 mL 80 or 100 mL The most common single shot used to be 50 mL but recently it
Republic has become 40 mL.
Denmark 20 mL 40 mL
Estonia 40 mL 80 mL
Finland 40 mL 80 mL In Finland, the maximum amount of strong alcohol restaurants
are allowed to serve is regulated by law to one 40 mL portion at
a time per customer. Doubles cannot be legally served.
Germany 20 mL 40 mL In Germany, shot glasses (German: Schnapsglas, Pintchen, Stam-
perl) are smaller.
Hungary 20 or 30 mL 40 or 50 mL 80 or 100 mL In Hungarian, shot glasses are called felespohár ("feles" mean-
ing "half", standing for 0.5 dL), pálinkáspohár (for pálinka),
kupica, or stampedli.
India 30 mL 60 mL A 90 mL shot in India is called a Patiala Peg
Ireland 35.5 mL 71 mL
Israel 30 mL 50 or 60 mL In Israel, the common word for a small shot is ""( "צ‘ייסרChas-
er").
Italy 30 mL 40 or 60 mL In Italy, the common word for a shot is "cicchetto". In North
Italy the "cicchetto" is the most common way to taste grappa
from at least two centuries
Kazakhstan 50 mL 100 mL In Russia, Kazakhstan, and other CIS (former Soviet) states there
is also a larger бокал (glass or goblet), which usually contains
200–300 mL.
New 15 mL 30 mL
Zealand
Poland 25 mL 50 mL 100 mL To take a single shot in Polish slang is to take po pięćdziesiątce,
meaning take 50 (50 mL).
Russia 50 mL 100 mL A double shot in Russian is called стопка meaning a stack; it also
alludes to the number 100.
Serbia 30 mL 50–60 mL A single shot is traditionally known in the Serbian language as
чашица за ракију, meaning small glass for rakija, or simply as мера
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shot glass
- мерица, meaning measure. A double shot is simply called Дупли,
meaning a double.
Sweden 20 mL 40 mL 60 mL
Slovakia 20 or 25 mL 40 or 50 mL 80 or 100 mL The most common single shot size is the pol deci (literally, half a
decilitre, 50 mL).
Slovenia 30 mL 60 mL
South 25 mL The South African government has an official definition for the
Africa single shot size.
South 60 mL
Korea
Turkey 1 finger 2 fingers 4 fingers
United 25 or 35 mL 50 or 70 mL Shots sold on-premises must contain either 25 mL or 35 mL
Kingdom measures of whisky, gin, rum, or vodka, as defined in the
Weights and Measures Act of 1985. This requirement does not
extend to other spirits. A 2001 amendment allowed a double
shot of 70 mL to be served. Generally, a single measure is equal
to 35ml in Northern Ireland and 25ml in the rest of Britain.[14]
United 1.0 US fl oz 1.5 US fl oz 3.0 US fl oz There is no standard size for a single shot, except in Utah, where
States (30 mL) (44 mL) (89 mL) a shot is defined at 1.5 fl oz.[15] Elsewhere in the U.S., the stan-
dard size is generally considered to be 1.25–1.5 fl oz.[16][17]
crystal online". Warwickcrystal.co.uk. [15] "Shotglass Size". Shotglass.org: a site for shotglasses
http://www.warwickcrystal.co.uk/shop/glasses/ and other similar items. http://www.shotglass.org/.
glass77.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-16. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
[8] "Jena glass". Encyclopædia Britannica. [16] Graham, Colleen. "Shot glass". About.com Cocktails:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9043517/ The Glassware Tour. About.com.
Jena-glass. Retrieved 2008-05-19. http://cocktails.about.com/od/embellishments/
[9] "Standard drinks guide". Department of Health and ss/glss_gde_10.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
Ageing (Australian). http://www.health.gov.au/ [17] Rowlett, Russ. "Units: S". How Many? A Dictionary of
internet/alcohol/publishing.nsf/Content/ Units of Measurement. University of North Carolina
drinksguide-cnt. Retrieved 10 April 2011. at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/
[10] "Weights and Measures Act". Department of units/dictS.html. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
Justice(Canada). http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/ [18] Feller, Robyn M. (2003). The Complete Bartender.
acts/W-6/FullText.html. Retrieved 24 November Berkley. ISBN 9780425190135.
2011.
[11] Smart Serve Ontario: Hospitality Industry Training
Organization of Ontario. Smart Serve Ontario:
External links
Responsible Alcohol Beverage Service Training. Queen’s • The Shotglass collectors website
Printer for Ontario,2002, p. 6.
[12] Rowlett, Russ. "Units: D". How Many? A Dictionary of
Units of Measurement. University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/
units/dictD.html. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
[13] "Shot glass". Glass info. The Webtender.
http://www.webtender.com/db/glass/2. Retrieved
2008-05-19.
[14] 1 Unit
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shot_glass&oldid=462264273"
Categories:
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Shot glass
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